After Midnight
by button-pusher
Summary: *Revised story* Skye, the Phantom Thief, could always rely on his undeniable charms and strange magical abilities whenever needed. However, when he meets a mysterious and crudely sarcastic woman immune to both, he finds himself thinking more about her than his 'profession'.
1. Prologue

**So this is the new, revised version of After Midnight. I didn't really give Claire much of a back story in the other one so this one will reveal a little more of how she came to be a farmer in Forget-Me-Not and more about her struggles. (i'll try not to make her a brooding character)**. **This prologue will be in third person view while the rest will be written from Claire's point of view. I plan to keep Claire's sarcastic personality since a lot of people liked it and I love writing her like a sarcastic almost emotionless girl. It's a change.**

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There was a candle lit on the nightstand, the only source of light in the small, musky home. She sat on the windowsill, her feet propped up in front of her as she watched the candle's flame flicker and wave in the darkness of the room. It was her first week and she already hated it in the valley. The people were strange and gloomy, the evenings and late weekend nights were lonely, and it just wasn't Mineral Town. The side of her head hit the glass of the window and she buried her face in her hands, muttering profanities for no reason except to express how much she already regret the move. She had Takakura, but he really wasn't much company. The last time she had seen that man, she was probably only five years old or younger. And it only makes things more awkward when you arrive back to your birthplace greeted by a teary-eyed old man oddly resembling a monkey that remembers exactly who you are and who your parents are and why you came back...and you can't even recall his name.

A knock at the door caused her to jolt forward. Grudgingly, the blonde stood to her feet and dragged herself to the door, swinging it open with the utmost unenthusiasm. There a woman dressed in a flattering red dress and a baby blue sweater greeted her with a warm smile. Her long blonde curls were pushed to the side with a thin black headband and fell perfectly down her back like some kind of model. Beside her was an older man with graying dark brown hair that was pulled back in a short ponytail, a scraggly mustache and prominent stubble on his chin. A calm and cool smile was barely visible under his facial hair as he held up a bottle of liquor for display. Bubbly green emerald eyes peered at the newcomer with childish curiosity, however, when she spoke, her voice appeared to be much more motherly and mature despite the obvious lack of intelligence.

"You must be the new farmer!" She paused for a moment, waiting for the blue-eyed blonde to respond. But she didn't. Instead she simply continued staring with a half-hearted attitude. "I'm Muffy! And this is Griffin! He owns the Blue Bar and I work there with him! You should come visit sometime!"

"..."

"We're hosting a party at the bar, why don't you join us?" Griffin spoke up. "Free music, drinks, and food." He held up the liquor once again for the petite farmer to see.

"Yeah, you can't spend New Year's alone!" The ditzy barmaid chimed in. "That's just no fun!" The blonde paused for a moment before replying with her usual blank expression,

"Okay."

"What's your name, newcomer?" Griffin asked.

"...Claire." She answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Claire!" Muffy giggled and locked arms with the new planter, dragging her off into the direction of the Blue Bar.

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**So this is the prologue. Hopefully everyone will like this revised story.**


	2. Encounter

**So I really hope I kept Claire's personality constant. I think I might change up the next few chapters because I felt in the other story it was was getting a bit repetitive and predictable (of course, most of my stories are predictable anyway). I wanted to change things up a bit. So any old readers, you might start to notice this veer off from the original. Hopefully it's a good change.**

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Work was rough in this town. Both physically and economically exhausting. Success seemed near impossible in this town, especially when compared to the easily acquired profits I made in the town just outside this forsaken place; Mineral Town. Forget-Me-Not only proved to be a quiet and socially remote place and I was beginning to think that moving here for the sake of peace was a poor choice when compared to the financial benefits Mineral Town provided me. My friends still visited me often, however, it felt as if my heart was chained to my wrist, dragging behind me with the rest of the regret I had for moving to this place. And being the stupid 19-year old bachelorette that I was, the best solution I could come up with for my brooding thoughts was wasting the little profits I made at the bar.

"You know, you can ask us for help anytime you need it. We're all like a family! We're always here for you! Right, Griffin?" Muffy's blonde head quickly spun back to the scruffy bartender who nodded in response. As she spun back around, I caught a thin strip of hair in my mouth. I unpleasantly spit it out and sighed in disgust. Even in my half-drunken state I was beginning to get frustrated. I was so poor I couldn't even afford to get drunk. How sad...

"I'm fine really. I appreciate the help but...I can't accept it." I mumbled weakly before scooting back in my stool and slapping money down on the counter. "Thanks for the drink, Griffin." I muttered loud enough for him to hear and bid the two farewell then turned for the exit. The two exchanged looks and began whispering concerns to one another in hopes I wouldn't pick up on what they were saying. I closed the door behind me then pressed my ear to the wood to listen in on the conversation.

"You didn't tell her about that, did you?" Griffin asked his ditzy employee.

"I thought it'd be a bad time..." Muffy told him. "She's stressed out enough." I brushed it off quickly since what they were saying was in fact true. Stress was bending me 175 degrees past my limit and when I finally snapped, the hell inside of me would too. I used to be accustomed to these sorts of things, frantically scrambling to gather extra cash just so I could get by with food for both my animals and I. But I suppose that's what you get for running a farm on your own in a place where there's no Goddess to help you.

My thoughts were clouded as I dragged my limp body away from the bar's entrance straight into an unfamiliar face. It took a while to process that this person was a good half-foot or more taller than me and I had rammed directly into their chest. I took a step back and quickly regained my composure to observe this person's entire profile. Silver hair, aqua eyes, scrawny frame, _horrible_ fashion sense.

"My, what do we have here?" A smirk curled his lips and he stuffed his hands in his pockets. His voice coated the crisp silence of the night, soft enough to lull a child to sleep. However, mine pierced the tranquility with a sharp contrast.

"I'm pretty sure you can see what's right in front of you." I shot back with that boring, monotone voice, mimicking him and rummaging through my pockets for nothing in particular. My lips twisted into an unpleasant scowl, directed at the arrogant thing standing before me. I noticed him eyeing me carefully, focussing on my pockets where my hands could be hiding an unwelcomed surprise. "It's not polite to stare."

"My apologies, dear maiden." He ran a pale hand through his hair. "I was just admiring your beauty." He bowed slightly then proceeded to question, "May I ask why such a lovely maiden is walking alone at this dreadful hour?" I noticed him glance up at me for a split second and adding, "Surely a lovely woman like yourself has a man to escort her home."

"Good one."

"So you're an independent woman?" The silver-haired man lifted his head and stood to his full height. I narrowed my eyes and contemplated how to answer.

"What does it have to do with you?"

"I'm just implying that it could be dangerous for such a beautiful young woman to be out and about during this time." He ran his hand through his hair once again and met my cold stare with a meaningless gaze.

"Quite the hypocrite. You know, you're pretty scrawny. Anyone could snap you like a twig." My expression remained stoic, something I mastered a while back.

"Quite _bold._ You may be right but in all honesty, darling, I'm really the only true threat out here." He flashed his usual smirk and winked flirtatiously in my direction and I threw up a little in my mouth.

"Are you like a rapist or something?" I raised an eyebrow, coiling away in disgust.

"If I said I was, would you be scared?" He took a step forward, leaning his face uncomfortably close to mine in an attempt to frighten me. Yet, I still held my blank face.

"I'd tear your balls off." I retorted. The man instantly stepped back and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Hehe, good thing I am not then." _Sure you aren't._ "Well, I must be off now, my lovely maiden. It's business." He grinned, quickly pinching my cheek before turning to the bar.

"The bar's closing, you should think about getting home." I added with my back turned to the man. _What the hell was he planning?_

"Don't worry, miss, I'm well aware of that." He answered with a chuckle. I stood motionless for a moment before connecting the subtle hints the mysterious man left.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing?" I began marching toward him.

"I'm sorry, dearest, but I cannot let you get in the way of my business." _Business?_ _Is he some kind of drug dealer or something? _He raised a clenched fist to his chest and furrowed his eyebrows. "CHICK BEAM-FIRE!" There was a faint ray of light shot in my direction which I assumed to be the reflection of the moonlight off his silver bracelet. I ignored it and focused on his actions. By the time he had finished belting out those words, he turned to the door and was reaching for the handle.

"What the hell are you saying?" I tilted my head in confusion. "What are you trying to do anyway?" I tried catching his attention which failed so I grabbed the man's wrist, preventing him from reaching the door handle. His aquamarine eyes shot back at me, widening in shock as he turned his entire body to face me.

"W-wait, you can move?" He asked me without his usual smooth tone of voice.

"Yeah." I answered slightly confused. As a demonstration, I waved my free hand in several different directions. "Why wouldn't I be able to?"

"What? That doesn't make sense. You _are_ a girl, right? I mean, that's the only reason why it wouldn't work." The man started rambling on, oblivious to what he was actually saying. My jaw dropped as I stared at him, anger swelling in my veins.

"Did you seriously just ask that? Are you some kind of stupid blind rat! You were frickin' hitting on me! And now you're quesitoning if I'm a woman?"

"Prove it! There's no way that it failed!" He growled while grabbing my arm to steady me and pulling at the collar of my shirt to 'see for himself', earning him a strong, firm punch straight to his flawless face. I was quite content with the strength of the direct punch to his cheek. I've always wanted to do that to a guy.

"Yo, watch it! You don't just stick your hand down a girl's shirt and grab her tits! Goddess damn pervert." I bellowed after pulling back my arm and adjusting my shirt once again.

"I'm sorry. You surprised me. I didn't mean to insult such a beautiful _woman_. I hope you can forgive me." The man added while rubbing his bruising cheek and staring off into space.

"You pull down women's shirts when you're surprised?" I raised an eyebrow in disgust then proceeded to shaking my head. "What kind of sick bastard _raised_ you?"

"I was just confused..." He said pathetically. "How can I make this up to you, my fair maiden?" He took my hand gently, raising to his lips. I noticed him stealing a few glances with hopeful eyes. _Did he expect some sort of positive reaction?_

"You could get the hell away from me." I snapped back, snatching my hand away from him. "Otherwise, you can't."

"But you, my lovely maiden, have become something of a mystery to me. It makes you so much more special" His aqua eyes rested upon me, gazing dreamily into mine. _What the hell is he doing?_

"Mysteries aren't meant to be figured out." I retorted bitterly.

"Maybe not, but I _must_ figure out how you manage to resist both my charms _and_ my magic." The man reached for a lock of hair, twirling it between his fingers. _Magic?! What magic?!_

"I _want_ to figure this mystery out. Even if you're not so willing."

"Yeah, whatever. There's really not much to figure out." I began walking off, avoiding further conversation with the mysterious pervert who still stood outside the bar's door, watching me as I disappeared into the darkness only giving him a simple wave of the hand without a single glance as a farewell. Getting away from that guy was the first thing on my agenda to conclude the long day. Thank the Goddess he didn't follow me. As soon as I was out of his line of sight, I sprinted the rest of the way home, slamming the door shut and sliding down my back until I reached the floor. I covered my face with my hands and dragged them down my face.

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**So, how was this chapter? Please tell me what you think. Suggestions, constructive criticism, and any comments are all welcomed.**


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